March 23, 2009

Inside this Issue

From the Chancellor
Featured Events & Activities
Around Campus
Accolades

From the Chancellor

Let me start with a clarification on the Governor’s March 17 budget recommendation for the University of Minnesota.  In a presentation I made at the budget forum on March 19, I used the number $591.6M as the 2012 base.  The Governor’s recommendation is $627.6M a difference of $36M.  My apology for the mistake.

I want to extend congratulations to Associate Professor John Loegering, Ph.D., natural resources, for being named a recipient of the Morse-Alumni Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education for 2009.  John is one of eight from across the University who will receive this award on April 27.

We continue to host several visitors to the campus.  Last week Associate Vice President and Dean of International Programs Meredith McQuaid visited campus.  On Friday, March 27, President Bruininks, First Lady Susan Hagstrom, and Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration Robert Jones will be on campus for meetings with several groups.

This afternoon we announced the discontinuation of the Men’s Hockey Team.  It was a difficult decision given the number of student-athletes who have represented the University of Minnesota, Crookston so well for so many years.  Athletic Director Stephanie Helgeson and Coach Gary Warren explored many options but came to the conclusion that developing a schedule, travel distance and costs, time away from class, and the current financial situation made continuing the program too challenging and difficult.  The decision is made even more difficult with the start of construction for the new Crookston Hockey Arena.  The University will honor the lease agreement signed with the city.  We will work with the city to determine options for alternative use of the facility when it is completed.

We welcome students back from their break to continue the spring semester.  Preparations for graduation on Saturday, May 9, which is only 7 weeks away, are progressing well.  Several year-end recognition and award programs are also scheduled.

Best wishes to Patti Malme, who is retiring from the Northwest Research and Outreach Center.  Patti has worked for the Center for many years as an associate administrator supporting Center Head Larry Smith.  Patti has been a good partner with the college on many programs and events over the years.  A reception will be held in Bede Ballroom on Friday, March 27, from 2:30 to 4 p.m.  Best wishes in your retirement, Patti.

Finally, congratulations to the U of M, Crookston chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) for winning a 10th consecutive regional championship.

– Chuck

Charles H. Casey, Chancellor
University of Minnesota, Crookston

Featured Events & Activities

International Dinner Series: Caribbean Countries of Jamaica and St. Kitts, Monday, March 23 – 6 p.m., Bede Ballroom, advance tickets only, $12 per meal, Contact Rae French, 218-281-8339

Photo Voice Display and Rachel Carson Documentary, Tuesday, March 24 – Noon to 2 p.m., Bede Ballroom

Business Activities Day, Wednesday, March 25 -  8:30 a.m. registration, 9:30 to 11 a.m. contests, noon to 1 p.m. awards presentation in Kiehle Auditorium

Urban Forestry Workshop, Thursday, March 26 - 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center

Campus Visit by U of M President Robert Bruininks and VP Robert Jones, Friday, March 27

Book Signing with Basil Clark, Ph.D., and Mark Huglen, Ph.D., Friday, March 27 - 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., UMC Bookstore, Sargeant Student Center

Theater Production: “Starkle, Starkle, Little Twink,” Friday, March 27 – 7 p.m., Kiehle Auditorium, admission is free, panel discussion to follow performance

Book Discussion: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv, Tuesday, March 31 - Noon to 2 p.m., Prairie Room, Sargeant Student Center

International Dinner Series: Annual International Dinner and Program, Wednesday, April 1 – 6 p.m., Bede Ballroom, advance tickets only, $12 per meal, Contact Rae French, 218-281-8339

AQIP (Academic Quality Improvement Program) Presentation by Faculty and Staff from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Thursday, April 2 – 12:15 to 2 p.m., Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center

Grad Fest, Wednesday, April 8 – 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., International Lounge and Bookstore, Sargeant Student Center

For details on these and other events or to discover what's happening this week, visit UMC Today at www.UMCrookston.edu/umcnews or review our news page at www.UMCrookston.edu/umcnews/stories .

Around Campus

Administrative Affairs –

University of Minnesota President Bruininks, Ph.D., and Robert Jones, Ph.D., senior vice president for system administration, will visit the Crookston campus Friday, March 27.  The day’s itinerary includes meetings with campus students, faculty, staff, department heads, administrators, and the regional media.  An open forum for faculty and staff is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. in Bede Ballroom, and a forum for students will follow at 10:30 a.m. in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center.  First Lady Susan Hagstrom will be a special guest at a reception for the U of M, Crookston Women’s Fund, scheduled from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. in the commons area of the University Research and Outreach Center.

On Thursday, April 2, faculty and staff from the University of Wisconsin-Stout will discuss their experiences with AQIP (Academic Quality Improvement Program) from 12:15 to 2 p.m. in Bede Ballroom. AQIP utilizes a continuous improvement process and provides an alternative process through which an already-accredited institution can maintain its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. With AQIP, an institution develops continuous quality improvement activities, and accreditation becomes a continuous process.  All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend this session.

Academic Affairs –

David Seyfried, MA, MPH, has been selected to lead the new academic program in criminal justice.  David has taught on the Crookston campus for several years.  He is currently completing doctoral work in criminal justice at the University of North Dakota.

“Starkle, Starkle, Little Twink,” a play written by Basil Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of speech and theater at Pikeville College, Kentucky, will premier Friday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in Kiehle Auditorium. Admission is free and the public is welcome.  Clark, a Vietnam veteran, will perform the lead role and will be joined by cast members from the campus and community.  A powerful reflection on war in a postwar environment and on the daily struggles of human relationships, the play is the result of collaborative work with the U of M, Crookston’s Mark Huglen, Ph.D., associate professor, communication.  Clark and Huglen coauthored the book, Poetic Healing: A Vietnam Veteran’s Journey from a Communication Perspective.  Following the performance, a panel discussion will include Clark, Huglen, David Beard, Ph.D., assistant professor, rhetoric, U of M, Duluth, and Kenneth Mendez, a cast member in the play and a communication student on the Crookston campus.  Learn more.

Development & Alumni Relations –

Torch magazine’s special annual report edition has gone to press and should be available within the next two weeks.  It will also be posted online in PDF format at www.umcrookston.edu/alumni/torch.

Alumnus Richard (Dick) Hebert, ’68, will be a special guest on campus Tuesday, March 24.

The U of M, Crookston Alumni Association Board will meet Thursday, March 26, at 6:30 p.m. in Kiehle 116.

University Relations –

Faculty and staff are encouraged to create an account for themselves on YouTube (www.youtube.com) and post a short one- to three-minute video providing a brief introduction about themselves,  the courses they teach, the research they conduct, the student services they support, and/or the sports they coach by April 1.  Contact Andrew Svec, 218-281-8438, for more information.

Athletics –

The U of M, Crookston will discontinue its men’s hockey program effective immediately.  Facing the current economic climate, looming state budget cuts to higher education, and difficulties in scheduling, officials explored many options before making this decision.  Coach Gary Warren will be reassigned to work with game management, athletic facilities, and assistant AD duties.  Learn more.

Visit www.goldeneaglesports.com for schedules and cheer on the Golden Eagles.

Campus & Local Community –

The Business Department will host Business Activities Day Wednesday, March 25.  Approximately 150 students from eight area high schools will compete in various business oriented competitions.  Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. at Bede Ballroom.  Contests will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in various rooms across campus, with awards presented at noon in Kiehle Auditorium.

The U of M, Crookston Natural Resources Department and Center for Adult Learning will co-host the 25th Annual Northwest Urban Forestry Workshop Thursday, March 26, from 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.  The workshop includes informational sessions on new and under-used trees, new and emerging invasive forest pests, Minnesota certified tree inspector recertification, new tree inspector testing, and forest pest first detector training for Minnesota residents. Cost is $30 per person.  Learn more.

Games, prizes, food, and fun will all be a part of a children’s carnival planned by the U of M, Crookston Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE).  The carnival will be held in the Crookston Armory Saturday, April 4, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.  Designed for children 3 to 11 years old, the carnival will feature an inflatable obstacle course provided by Fargo Games Galore along with many other games including bean bag toss, bowling, boxing, fish pond, face painting, football toss, and more.  Game tickets will be sold at the door; $5 buys 10 tickets.  Learn more.

Accolades

Adel Ali, Ph.D., professor and head, Math, Science, Technology Department, served as program coordinator for the 15th Annual Conference on Industry, Engineering & Management Systems, held March 9-11 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  At the conference he also co-presented two papers on computer simulation work: “Hybrid Approach for Agent-Based Egress Simulation: Mitigating the Dynamic Re-routing Problem” with Bikramjit Banerjee and “Spot E Vac: A Simulation Environment for Planning, Training and Assessment of Emergency Response and Evacuation Capabilities at High Consequence Sports Events” with Lou Marciani.

The U of M, Crookston chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) took part in the SIFE annual regional competition March 20 in Minneapolis, where the presentation team captured the Regional Championship for a tenth consecutive year.  The team will go on to compete at the SIFE National Exposition, held May 10-12 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Publication notes: The E-Update is published twice each month August thru April and once each month in the summer, May thru July. Issues are posted online.

If you have any questions regarding the information in this news update, please send them to urumc@umn.edu.